The Long Way Home

UK to Goa · The move in progress

The route becomes home.

We’re Rohit and Denise. We’re moving from the UK to Goa with two dogs and documenting the real version.

The paperwork, the house hunt, the pet travel, the costs, the doubts, the family history and the small practical choices that decide whether a dream can actually become a life.

Start here Watch on YouTube
Photo placeholder Rohit + Denise + the dogs Add a warm, candid family image here once approved.

Dogs · paperwork · house hunts · costs · reality checks

Start here

This is not a “we moved to paradise” account.

The Long Way Home is our family relocation journal. We are leaving the UK and trying to build a new life in South Goa, with two dogs coming with us and a long list of things we do not want to get wrong.

Some of it will be beautiful. Some of it will be admin. Some of it will probably be ridiculous. We’re keeping the useful bits visible: what we researched, what surprised us, what cost more than expected, what we delayed too long, and what we would do differently.

If you’re thinking about moving to India, moving with pets, working remotely from Goa, or just watching a family try to make a big life change properly, this is the place to start.

New pages to review

The first field notes are drafted.

These are the starting pages for the site, with image placeholders ready for personal photos once they are selected.

Start hereThe long way from the UK to GoaContext, tone and what this project is not. JournalWe’re moving from the UK to GoaThe first narrative note for the move. Dog Move DiaryElla and Kali are not luggageThe pet-relocation lane starts with their actual personalities. House HuntWhat we need from a South Goa homeGarden, shade, internet, monsoon and dog space. Cost LogThe spreadsheet behind a life changeCost categories before exact numbers.

Where we are now

Before the move, while everything is still theory.

Right now the useful story is not the reveal. It is the preparation: the list-making, the questions, the second-guessing and the unglamorous work of making the move possible.

Planning

What needs to happen before we can leave, and which decisions are still open.

Dogs

Vet steps, travel requirements, crate prep and the emotional load of moving pets internationally.

House hunt

What we need from a South Goa home: shade, garden, internet, access, safety and enough space to settle.

Reality checks

The gaps between what looks simple online and what actually needs to be solved.

The journey

What we’ll keep track of as the move unfolds.

The Move

Leaving the UK, one decision at a time.

Timelines, packing, documents, storage, shipping, goodbyes and the practical mess behind a clean announcement.

 Dog Move Diary

Ella and Kali are not luggage.

Ella the failed police dog, Kali the Spanish rescue, and the flights, crates, heat and routines needed to get them safely to Goa.

 House Hunt

South Goa beyond the postcard.

Homes, gardens, internet, roads, monsoon, village rhythms and the tradeoffs that matter once you live there.

 Cost Log

The spreadsheet bits people skip.

Budgets, surprises, hidden categories and the numbers we wish people shared before they moved.
Family Archive

Returning is not the same as arriving.

India, Goa, family history, identity and what “home” feels like when you are both going back and starting again.

India to Goa stamp

Field notes, not finished guides

Useful as we learn it. Caveated when we’re still working it out.

When we have enough real experience to be helpful, we’ll turn it into proper notes: dog paperwork timelines, house-hunt checklists, cost logs and what we got wrong. Until then, we’ll be clear about what is lived experience and what is still research.

Follow daily updates

Follow along

Same journey, different formats.